Fire safety tips for the winter season

TORONTO – Ontario’s Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management offers simple tips to keep your home safe:

– stay in the kitchen when cooking. If you must leave, turn off the stove;

– blow out candles before leaving the room;

– keep space heaters away from anything that can burn, including curtains and furniture;

– install and test smoke alarms on every floor and outside all sleeping areas;

– don’t forget about carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. In Ontario, you must have a working CO alarm adjacent to each sleeping area of the home if you have a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage;

– make sure everyone knows two ways to get out of your home. Plan and practice a home fire escape plan with family members and holiday guests; and

– designate a street light or mailbox outside as a meeting place where everyone can be accounted for. Don’t re-enter a burning building.

Telling guests about your family’s home fire escape plan, testing the home’s smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and keeping doors and other exits clear of items like boots and shoes, are all recommendations from Ontario Fire Marshal Jon Pegg.

Quick Facts

One in three fire deaths (35 per cent) occur during the months of November, December and January.

Heating equipment, unattended cooking, electrical distribution equipment, cigarettes and appliances are among common wintertime causes of fire.

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